Nets phone it in with 29-point loss to Milwaukee as playoff hopes dwindle

The Nets should have been fighting for their playoff lives Monday night against the Bucks. Instead, they turned in their sorriest performance of the season.

First, they played a sorry brand of basketball that resulted in a 107-78 loss to Milwaukee. Then they said sorry to the fans who had to watch such a lifeless effort at the Meadowlands.

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"I apologize to our fans and people who came to support us," Lawrence Frank said. "That was totally a non-competitive effort."

"I want to apologize to the fans for having to watch this," said Vince Carter.

There was plenty for the Nets to apologize for. They fell behind by 19 points after the first quarter, which ended with an 18-0 run, and trailed by 25 late in the second quarter. And heading to the locker room to a chorus of boos from a crowd of 12,205 hardly inspired the Nets (30-44) to get their act together, as they fell behind by 35 points after the break.

They also dropped 5-1/2 games behind the eighth-place Bulls with just eight games left. Their tragic number is three.

As if such a loss didn't sting enough, former Net Richard Jefferson led the Bucks (32-43) with 29 points and 10 rebounds, doing most of his damage in the first half, when he had 19 points and eight boards. He buried four of his five three-pointers in the opening half, including one with 2:06 left in the second quarter that gave the Bucks a 25-point lead.

The third quarter opened with Jefferson hitting two straight buckets, an eight-footer and a layup that turned into a three-point play. Later in the quarter, Jefferson's 18-footer buried the Nets in a 31-point hole.

Just before that shot, Frank pulled Carter and Devin Harris off the court after they each missed eight of 11 shots. Harris wound up with 10 points and Carter had nine.

Frank did something similar earlier in the year, yanking the two team leaders at halftime of a blowout loss to the Celtics. Harris had a problem with that move but admittedly had no right to complain Monday night.

"It was just ugly out there," Harris said.

Frank said he spoke to his players about the effort they put forth on Sunday in a sleepy loss at Minnesota, so the fact they tried no harder Monday night does not reflect well on his ability to inspire the team.

"It starts with me," Frank said. "It's a reflection on all of us when you don't compete. I'm not out there in the uniform, but at the same time I'm part of the problem. All I can tell you is, it's unacceptable."